Western leads nation in minority student graduation gains

Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian Andrea Arce (left) of Western Oregon University talks about college with Annalisa Sanchez after speaking to Latino students at Forest Grove High last fall. Western has led the nation in recent years in improving the graduation rate of its underrepresented minority students. Western has heavily recruited Latino students, the fastest growing student group in Oregon. Its Latino enrollment, consequently, has climbed by 70 percent since 2004.

About 10 percent of Western's students belong to underrepresented minority groups – African American, Latino and Native American. The six year graduation rate for those groups at Western, which is in Monmouth, collectively jumped from 17.5 percent in 2002 to 42.3 percent in 2007. That was the largest gain in graduation rates for underrepresented minorities among any public university in the nation, reports the

among 25 research universities that made the biggest gains in minority student graduation rates between 2002 and 2007. Underrepresented minority students make up 6.5 percent of the University of Oregon's undergraduate enrollment. Their six-year graduation rate climbed from 56.3 percent in 2002 to 67.1 percent in 2007, a 10.8 percentage-point gain that put them above the university's average non-minority student graduation rate of 65.3 percent.

Western's top ranking stems directly from its focus in recent years on improving access and success for disadvantaged students, including minority, low-income and first-generation students, said George Pernsteiner, chancellor of the

The university has made it a priority to reach out to minority students, particularly Latino students. More than 20 percent of this year's freshman class came from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Western also has added faculty to keep class sizes small and provided academic advisers to help minority and first generation students who are the first in their families to attend college.

"It is no accident that as the campus has become more diverse, our students are becoming more successful," said David McDonald, Western's associate provost, in a prepared statement. He noted the university has developed nationally recognized programs in academic advising, writing and student enrichment that provide support to minority and first-generation students.

The Education Trust reported that about 60 percent of public colleges and universities improved graduation rates for minority students between 2002 and 2007. The Trust listed the following as some strategies that have helped colleges boost minority graduation rates:

– Partner with area high schools to better prepare students for college.

– Focus resources on the first year, when half of all dropouts leave, to ease student transitions into college life with summer bridge and freshman orientation programs and learning communities.

– Improve teaching in gate keeping remedial and introductory courses.

– Monitor student progress through intrusive advising programs and early warning systems that connect students with support services such as tutoring and counseling to keep them on track.

– Target grant aid to meet the full financial needs of low-income students first.